The ultimate collector’s edition of Juliet Escoria’s short stories from Black Cloud, poetry from Witch Hunt, and new work, with an introduction by Scott McClanahan (The Sarah Book).  The wickedly dark, funny and brazenly vulnerable writings that have made Juliet an indie legend are gathered in this collection.  A comprehensive body of work, spanning a decade: brutal fictions, biting poems, eye-opening personal vignettes, a universe of unfiltered visions to be savored again and again, in the darkness and the light of our modern existence. Through honest musings on mental health, 9/11, and mortality, Escoria is a kindred spirit for wanderers and seekers on their dark soul nights, providing the kind of wisdom that only comes from a life well-lived. PRAISE FOR JULIET ESCORIA “A force that shouldn’t be ignored — an illuminating examination of youth and soul-crushing pressure.”— BUZZFEED "For fans of Ottessa Moshfegh, Juliet the Maniac is a worthy new entry in that pantheon of deconstruction... Dazzling." —NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW “To read Juliet the Maniac  is to confront our shared faith in the flawed logic of life’s meaning, and by so doing, become worthier of our humanity.” —WASHINGTON POST PRAISE FOR BLACK CLOUD “Unrelenting, violent, often scary: Juliet Escoria’s debut collection of stories will likely have you begging and crying for salvation a few pages in. She’s just that good.” —JASON DIAMOND, FLAVORWIRE “These stories are uniformly effective; they veer at you in unexpected ways and devastate, sometimes quietly and sometimes brutally.” —TOBIAS CARROLL, VOL. 1 BROOKLYN “Simply riveting and raw.” —LINDSAY HUNTER, FSG BLOG Juliet Escoria is the author of the story collection You Are the Snake (forthcoming from Soft Skull in 2024) and Juliet the Maniac (Melville House, May 2019). Her first two books, Black Cloud and Witch Hunt , were previously published by Civil Coping Mechanisms and Lazy Fascist Press, respectively. Her writing can be found in places like Tyrant, VICE, Hotel, and the New York Times , and has been translated into many languages. She was born in Australia, raised in San Diego, and currently lives in West Virginia. The sky that day was blue, so extreme in its clarity that it has a technical term: “Severe clear.” A rhyme for unlimited visibility— everything, crystal blue clear, in every direction. This is what the survivors say. The sky was so blue. It was so beautiful. New York is perfect in September, the trees still with their leaves and the sunlight thin yellow, the air no longer heavy with the hot garbage smell of the summer. And the beauty of that day was remarkable. A perfect day, a perfect so perfect it hurt.  My 9/11 story is so boring. I slept through it. I was high school age but not in high school, working at a chain bookstore. On 9/12/01, people lined up outside the bookstore before we opened. The newspapers sold out immediately. I should have bought one but I didn’t. The late edition of the New York Times from 9/11/01 is currently for sale on eBay, $1999.99 or best offer.